The campaign for Indonesia's presidency has officially kicked off with a debate between incumbent President Joko Widodo and populist challenger Prabowo Subianto. Observers say both candidates failed to impress.

Ahok's blasphemy conviction in 2017 raised concern over the influence of Islamist hardliners on Indonesian politics. Activists have said the blasphemy law still poses a danger to religious minorities and free speech.

Anak Krakatau

Scientists say the Anak Krakatau volcanic island in Indonesia has lost three-quarters of its volume since it erupted a week ago, causing a deadly tsunami. And it is also considerably shorter.

During our last trip to Indonesia 3 years ago we spent a few days in the Java region which got hit this time. It was a bit astonishing for me how many signs have been there for tsunami evacuation routes. But just few days before we arrived, there was a mud slide coming down from the hills and also creating a lot of devastation.

ewwwww

Indonesian authorities have discovered flip-flops, plastic bottles and cups in a dead sperm whale. Five Asian nations, including Indonesia, are considered the world's worst plastic polluters of the earth's oceans.

animal paintings

Australian and Indonesian researchers have found the world's oldest-known cave paintings on the island of Borneo. The art was painted at least 40,000 years ago, debunking the view that cave art solely existed in Europe.

Palm oil can be used in everything from cosmetics to fuel, and is cheap and efficient to produce. But this versatile crop has a dark side — its incredible popularity has caused widespread environmental destruction.

Palm oil production is the leading driver of tropical deforestation, which accounts for 18 percent of all global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Clearing Indonesian forests is a particular problem, because they store more carbon per hectare than the Brazilian Amazon thanks to their "carbon-rich" soils, according to US-based Union of Concerned Scientists.Land clearing for palm oil was also linked with giant fires in Indonesia in 2015 that became one of the world's biggest climate disasters in terms of greenhouse gas pollution. The fires released more heat-trapping gases than all of Germany's annual emissions from fossil fuels.

1.1 million Indonesian

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Facebook is being forced to answer tough questions in Southeast Asian countries whether its platform is being abused and if citizens' data were misused.

In the past few years, the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia has reached an alarming level. The main reason behind this increasing deforestation is the plantation of oil palm trees. Ernest Zacharevic, an artist from Lithuania, has a unique way to raise awareness about it.

criminalizing any sex outside of marriage

Indonesia's parliament speaker has called for reforms to the criminal code that would outlaw any sex outside of marriage, including gay sex. Critics say the bill would also weaken checks and balances on democracy.

Who needs Tinder?

A new smartphone app in Indonesia aimed at facilitating male polygamy has drawn condemnation from gender rights activists and triggered a renewed debate about the practice in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Pressure to conform?

A large number of Indonesians want Shariah to be implemented in their country and support women donning the hijab, says a new survey. It comes amid fears that Islamist groups are gaining more traction and visibility.

Seven years since he passed away, Indonesia's former President Gus Dur is still a constant figure in people's minds. Some would use him as a target of hate, but many regard him as a hero, says his daughter Alissa Wahid.

He believed in the universalism of Islam: That Islam has in its core the values of human dignity, and democracy, with all its limitations, is the best political ideology to ensure it. He wrote, "Democracy is not only not haram [forbidden] in Islam, but is a compulsory element of Islam. Upholding democracy is one of the principles of Islam."